Said an emotional Bieber: "I'm 19 years old. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. And basically, from my heart, I just really want to say it should really be about the music. This is not a gimmick. I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously, and all this other bulls--t should not be spoken of."

The declaration prompted both cheers and boos, and it wasn't immediately apparent whether his message got through.